This invention relates generally to wiping and specifically to wiping of rear view mirrors of vehicles such as trucks, buses, and similar vehicles and to adjustment of mirrors.
The use of wipers on the rear view mirrors of large commercial vehicles is a potential trend in the industry. Because of their length, it is especially important that trucks and buses have an excellent view of what is beside them. Unfortunately, heavy rainfall can obscure the view in a standard rear view mirror. Even a heated mirror does not help in heavy rainfall. If a dangerous circumstance suddenly presents itself in a vehicle's path, the driver might not be able to tell whether it is safe to change lanes left or right to avoid the danger. Therefore, having clean mirrors can prevent accidents and save lives.
Many patents have been issued on various inventions related to wiping of rear view mirrors. Yet it is still a rare sight to see a vehicle equipped with any of these inventions. In the absence of regulations mandating wipers on the external rear view mirrors of large commercial vehicles, the popularity and commercial success of such wipers can be expected to be highly price sensitive.
Two notable patents, U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,758 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,466, assigned to the assignee of the present application address some of the problems in the industry and are incorporated herein by reference. The problem with the wiper assembly disclosed in these patents is that the wiper cannot be used if a convex mirror is attached to the face of the mirror and neither of these mirrors provide for electric adjustment.